


with a bow

by MajesticAnna



Series: tapes [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Confessions, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-21 18:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30025824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajesticAnna/pseuds/MajesticAnna
Summary: Two weeks pass, and life continues as normal. Hinata fixes his visa application, gets an apology from his teammate, and in turn, apologizes to the girl for lashing out. Things are okay. Stressful, with end of term, but okay.It’s been two weeks since his bad day, and thus, it’s been fourteen days since Kageyama gave him a meatbun.+++After Hinata's Very Bad Day, two weeks later.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Series: tapes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1940833
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	with a bow

**Author's Note:**

> Tapes Part 2! Thanks for waiting :D If you haven't read the first one, you might want to check out the first fic in this series! It can be read as a standalone, but it might make your experience better <3

Two weeks pass, and life continues as normal. Hinata fixes his visa application, gets an apology from his teammate, and in turn, apologizes to the girl for lashing out. Things are okay. Stressful, with end of term, but okay. 

It’s been two weeks since his bad day, and thus, it’s been fourteen days since Kageyama gave him a meatbun.

He’s still not sure what to do about it.

They had stayed there, holding one another, until Hinata had awkwardly pulled away. He untacked his bike from the rack and sped out of the parking lot as fast as possible. Pedaling with each push of his leg, he ignored the bewildered Kageyama and smothered his own thumping heart.

Hinata smacks his hands against his face to call attention to the present. No use thinking about it right now. He’s waiting in the equipment room for Yachi to come get him and take his measurements. There’s no space for Kageyama right now.

But oh, how his heart yearns.

Well, what was Hinata going to do? Confess his icky, gooey feelings to Kageyama before the year ends? It’s already late fall, nearly winter, and Hinata would be going to Brazil after his gap year. Maybe Kageyama would be going to college or the V-League for volleyball, but he would be too busy for Hinata.

Hinata’s heart sinks. 

They’d be too busy for one another. Or at least Kageyama would. Hinata would be working to get over to Brazil, and then they’d be oceans apart. Yachi had pointed it out to him on a map a few weeks ago and Hinata had fully realized that he was crossing the world, to a foreign land, and would be on his own, leaving his whole life behind.

It’s frightening, if he thinks about it too much.

“Hinata?”

He snaps up at the sound of his name, turning to see Yachi standing with her favorite clipboard, a pretty one covered in delicate flowers. Hinata had given it to her as a birthday gift months ago, and she gleamed with pride every time she took notes for the team, of equipment counts and quick attack stats. Right now, she has a sheet tacked with the team’s measurements.

“Hinata?” she says, again, and Hinata realizes he’s been staring at her without saying anything. 

“Uh, yeah. Ready for me?” Yachi nods, and Hinata follows her out.

When they get to the equipment room, the station with the height measurement is set up. There’s a stool next to the metal contraption, presumably for Yachi to stand on while she measures the taller athletes.

Hinata quietly goes to stand by the lines, rolling his shoulders back and keeping his head straight. He’s grown since his first year, but he’s no giant. He’s gotten used to the body he is in, so he doesn’t tilt his head upward to get a few more millimeters of height.

“Are you okay?”

Hinata blinks up at Yachi, who is placing the metal block on his head. She sticks her tongue out at the corner of her mouth while she reads the measurement. “Why do you ask, Yachi-san?”

“Oh, it’s just… something seems to be on your mind,” Yachi says. “You’ve been looking without seeing since we left the club room.”

“Looking without seeing?”

“It’s an expression.”

“Oh.” Hinata isn’t good with those. “What does it mean?”

Yachi writes a note on her clipboard. “Are you thinking about Kageyama?”

“W—wh—” Hinata’s cheeks heat, enough of a confirmation at her pinpoint accuracy. He coughs. “Why do you think I’m—”

“You get that glazed look a lot when you’re thinking about him.” Yachi hops down from the stool, and bites her lip, a nervous habit. “Sorry, was that too direct? I know I should’ve—”

“No, it’s fine.” Yachi had worked really hard to beat back her anxieties, Hinata shouldn’t add on to them. He smiles shakily. “I was thinking about him.” 

Yachi tilts her head to the side. “Do you want to talk about it?” She clicks her fingers against her clipboard. “You only have to tell me as much as you want.”

And this sincerity, this true willingness to listen, it’s enough to make Hinata break down the gates around his heart. He tells Yachi about his Very Bad Day and how Kageyama had helped him; he skips over the sadder bits, like breaking down crying in the club room, but does mention the meatbun.

“And then I… I hugged him.” Hinata’s cheeks continue to glare infuriatingly bright with his embarrassment. His last words, he has to force out. “It felt really nice but I ran away and we haven’t spoken about it since.”

Yachi tilts her head in understanding as she pats his shoulder. “I’m glad Kageyama was able to take care of you.” She furrows her brows. “But why is it making you think so hard?”

“I need to know how to repay him!” Hinata blurts out. He cards his hands through his hair. “I want to show I appreciate him and that he truly does make my life better.” He drops off to a whisper. “That I wouldn’t be the same without him.”

The tiny room feels suffocating to Hinata, but the warmth of Yachi next to him keeps him calm. She seems to intuitively know this and takes his palm into her own. Squeezing his hand, she teases lightly: “That sounds like a confession to me.”

Hinata scoffs, which turns into a small chuckle. “Here I am revealing my most vulnerable feelings to you, and now you’re making fun of me? Yachi-san, you wound me.”

She smiles with her cheeks crinkling merrily. Tracing her finger against Hinata’s palm, she says: “Hinata, I don’t think you have much to worry about. Kageyama-kun wouldn’t want to hurt you, no matter his feelings for you.” She smirks, a small lilt to her lips. “But I think you might end up surprised.”

Hinata’s stomach takes a dive, jumping off the edge into the unknown. What if Kageyama liked him back? Would that change what they already have? Maybe, but the prospect of being able to hold and kiss him freely, to eat meatbuns together all the time, his heart wants to pull him over into the indeterminable future.

It’s scary. It’s thrilling. It’s nerve-wracking.

It’s what he wants.

Hinata swallows. “What should I do, then?”

“Hmm,” Yachi says. She lets go of his hand and picks up her clipboard. “Maybe you could give him a gift in return? I know girls love to give chocolate when they confess, and it might help to feel like you repaid him.”

“Yeah… that could work…” Hinata says. “But what to give Kageyama instead of chocolate...”

In a flare of synapses, Hinata knows what to do.

He cries out in happiness, scaring Yachi with a yelp. Then he hugs her tight, against his chest, and releases her just as fast. 

“Gotta go, Yachi-san! See you later for the other measurements!”

“B-Bye!”

In a quick swish of air, Hinata is gone, rushing out of the equipment room. 

+++

Hinata can’t find Kageyama before morning classes. So when he sees him in the classroom, he rushes over, waving in hello to get his attention. But despite Hinata’s greeting, Kageyama turns his head and pouts.

Hinata spends some minutes trying to tease Kageyama to look at him, wiggling his body back and forth and calling his name, but Poutyama ignores him, turning his head or huffing a breath of air through his mouth.

A tinge of worry flutters in Hinata’s stomach; he pushes it away. It was probably some silly misunderstanding, one he could fix at lunchtime. 

When their break comes, Hinata doesn’t chase Kageyama down. Instead, he goes to the vending machine and picks out one milk. The carton thunks to the bottom of the machine, and Hinata reaches a hand to grab it. Its cold weight in his hands is one that he takes seriously, one that he carries with him to the gym.

Hinata focuses on controlling his breathing. This moment would be important for him. There was no room to mess up, no opportunity to try again if he botches the receive or flubs the spike. He had spent this morning drafting responses—it was kind of a waste of time, as nothing substantial had come to him. It all sounded too cliched or sentimental for his tastes.

If he confessed to Kageyama with a perfume-scented letter, he thinks he would end up hearing one of Kageyama’s rare laughs; only, completely at Hinata’s expense.

So yeah, Hinata is just going to try his best. And as he draws upon the gym, where a lone figure is standing, he thinks he will be able to wing it, and it would all be okay.

Kageyama is by himself, just like Hinata had directed Yachi to ask him to be. He’s standing by the concrete gym wall, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, the grass crunching beneath his feet.

Hinata snickers to himself. Kageyama is so cute. 

Kageyama whips his head up at the sound—his eyes widen when he sees Hinata. Immediately, Kageyama pivots on his heel and walks away.

Hinata, though, is not one to give up. Kageyama has been avoiding him today, and he won’t let him go without talking. He picks up speed and when he gets closer, he grabs Kageyama’s arm. 

“Let go.” Kageyama says, shaking his arm.

Hinata has him in a tight grip. “No. I need to tell you something.”

“I already know!” Kageyama says, his tone hurt and filled with bitterness. “I know, so just let me go!” 

“What?” Hinata releases his arm, his heart dropping in his chest. “What do you mean? What do you know?”

Kageyama is silent. Then, he says: “Something you didn’t want to tell me.”

Hinata’s heart thuds. What did he mean? He’s only told Yachi and there’s not like anyone else knows about his feelings. Besides, he wants to tell Kageyama, he wants nothing more than to let his feelings go. But what if someone else knew?

And then they told Kageyama. And whatever they said, it hurt him.

Hinata shakes his head. He needs to focus. Damage control first. 

“Kageyama, I’m sorry if—”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Can you let me explain myself, at least!” Hinata’s frustration builds. “We’re friends, right?”

“I thought we were,” Kageyama says, his hands shaking as he crosses his arms. “But clearly we’re not.” 

“What do you mean, Kageyama?” Hinata is more bewildered than frustrated now. “Of course we’re friends!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was worried about what you would think of me!”

“You’re my closest friend and you’re worried what I would think?” Kageyama uncrosses his arms, a breeze carding through his fringe. “Right now, I’m angry but I’d probably be happy for you if you’d just told me—”

“Wait.” Happy for him? 

And Hinata thinks of inconsistencies and how things are not matching up in the conflicting signals in his brain. So he asks a simple question: “Kageyama. Could you please tell me why you’re upset?”

“Because you’re going to Rio and you didn’t tell me!”

Silence echoes across the field before them, the concrete walls of the gym rebounding Kageyama’s words to him. The breeze kisses Hinata’s face and tells him this: he needs to fix their misunderstanding.

“Kageyama,” Hinata says. He keeps his tone even and calm like when he speaks to Natsu or a kouhai in instruction. “That isn’t what I came here to talk about.”

“What? What is it, then?” It’s Kageyama’s turn to be confused. 

“Let’s talk about this first.” Hinata reaches out and grabs one of Kageyama’s hands, this time, in a gentle, careful way. In the other, he readjusts the milk to a more comfortable position. “Why are you upset about Rio?”

Kageyama relaxes, either at the touch or the words. He shrugs off the weight on his shoulders. “You’re my closest friend.” He licks his lower lip. “You’re my closest friend, and you didn’t think to tell me of a decision about moving across the globe.”

“Kageyama,” Hinata says. He thumbs along Kageyama’s palm. “What are you doing after high school?”

“Joining the V-league.” 

“And did you tell me that before this?”

A pause. “Hinata—”

“What did you promise me?”

Kageyama’s brow furrows. There’s a light blush on his cheek. “To go to the world stage.”

“Yes,” Hinata says. “Rio is just a stop along the way.”

And this, for all the stress around his eyes and lines of tension in his body, makes Kageyama release. He inhales and lets out a shaky exhale, and Hinata stands there and rubs his thumb along his palm. 

“I’m sorry,” Kageyama says.

“I’m sorry for not telling you.” Hinata frowns. “Sometimes, I think, I’m so used to you getting it that I forget I have to say things to you, too.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll work on it if we’re going to be together.”

“Together?!” Kageyama blossoms a brighter red.

Hinata winces. Way to spoil the surprise. “Yeah, I actually came to confess.” He raises the milk in his other hand. “This was supposed to be a gift.” 

Kageyama’s face goes slack, his mouth agape. Then, his mouth flops around. “Did—Do—Is—Er—”

“Take your time.”

Kageyama smacks his palm against his face. “Do you still feel the same?”

Hinata blinks. “What? That I like you?”

“Yeah.”

Hinata chuckles. “Feelings don’t change that fast, Kageyama.”

“But I was mean!”

“You’re always mean!”

“Hey!”

“Kageyammmmmaaaaa.” Hinata releases Kageyama’s hand and he takes the milk in both hands. He bows, with arms outstretched. “Kageyama-kun! I like you! Please go out with me!”

“Dumbass!” Kageyama swipes the carton from Hinata’s hands, as Hinata clutches his stomach and laughs, big heaving breaths of air against his ribs as he laughs and laughs.

It’s a nice feeling. To be breathless from laughter. 

When he calms down, Hinata straightens his spine. He tilts his head to the side. “So.”

“So?” Kageyama says. His eyes are targeted on the ground. 

“Are you going to respond to my confession?” Kageyama still hasn’t given him confirmation. Apprehension builds in Hinata’s heart.

“You’re not mad?” Kageyama asks. His voice is soft in his question. 

“No.” 

“What if we fight in the future?”

“We will. And we’ll figure it out.”

“Hinata—”

“Kageyama!” Hinata huffs a breath of air. “I care about you! If you don’t feel the same, then that’s okay, but don’t say no because you’re afraid!”

“Ok, Hinata, ok!” Kageyama groans. He finally looks at Hinata with a glare in his eyes. “Just stop saying embarrassing things.” 

Hinata brightens, and he throws his arms around Kageyama. “Yay!”

“Dumbass, I’m gonna drop my milk!” But instead of pushing him away, Kageyama, after an aborted movement, places his arms carefully around him. 

“Ah, yes, I know, I’m second to Milk-kun, I knew this. Yet my poor heart is still shattered!”

“Dumbass! Stop!”

And Hinata laughs and laughs in Kageyama’s arms, because things are okay. They’ll work out, in the end, with Kageyama.

He’s sure of it. 

+++

For their first anniversary, Kageyama is in Tokyo with the Adlers and Hinata is in Miyagi for training. But when Hinata gets home to his apartment, there’s a gift waiting for him.

A meatbun. 

When he FaceTimes Kageyama, he’s smiling through the screen and holding a milk carton. 

They share them together that very night. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! And special thanks to Anna for beta-reading and supporting me <3 And thanks to everyone who waited patiently for part 2!
> 
> twitter: [@majesticdeku](https://twitter.com/majesticdeku)


End file.
